Jurors including Actors, Directors, Film Critics, Producers, and other distinguished members of the industry will present the Awards to the winning filmmakers.

MAVERICK AWARD:
The Honorary Maverick Award is given each year to an individual whose life and work is based on creativity, independent vision and social activism. Previous recipients include Richard Linklater, Kevin Smith, Christine Vachon, Barbara Kopple, Tim Robbins, Les Blank, D.A. Pennebaker & Chris Hegedus, Woody Harrelson, Mira Nair and Steve Buscemi.

The Woodstock Film Festival is proud to present two-time Academy Award® nominated writer/director BRUCE BERESFORD with the 2010 Honorary Maverick Award. His international reputation blossomed as part of the Australian new wave, when the astonishing courtroom drama "Breaker Morant" won major awards and the screenplay, which Beresford co-wrote, was nominated for an Academy Award®. In 1983, Beresford helmed "Tender Mercies" which was nominated for five Academy Awards®. The extraordinarily successful "Driving Miss Daisy" was nominated for nine Academy Awards®. Beresfrod’s most recent film, "Peace, Love & Misunderstanding" was produced in the Hudson Valley and stars Jane Fonda, Catherine Keener, Chase Crawford, Liz Olsen, Nat Wolff and many others including local featured actors and extras.

Look for the release sometime in 2011.

TRAILBLAZER AWARD:
The Trailblazer award, which recognizes an innovative leader and pioneer in the field industry will be presented to distribution guru BOB BERNEY. A preeminent force in the international film world for more than two decades, Berney has worked with four of the most successful independent film distribution and marketing companies: Apparition, Picturehouse, Newmarket Films and IFC Films. He has overseen the releases of Academy Award® nominated and winning films "There Will Be Blood," "Monster," "La Vie En Rose," "The Passion of the Christ," "Whale Rider," "My Big Fat Greek Wedding," "Y Tu Mama Tambien," "A Prairie Home Companion," "Pan’s Labyrinth," "Mongol" and many more. Past WFF Honorary Trailblazer Award recipients include James Schamus of Focus Features, Ted Sarandos of Netflix, Jonathan Sehring of IFC Entertainment, and John Sloss of Cinetic Media.

EXCELLENCE IN ACTING AWARD for performances in Hollywood and Independent FilmKEANU REEVES will be recognized for skillfully skirting the boundaries between tent-pole studio releases and smaller, character driven films. He is best known for his roles in "Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure," "Speed" and the science fiction-action trilogy "The Matrix." He has worked under indie directors, such as Stephen Frears in the period drama "Dangerous Liaisons;" Gus Van Sant in the gritty "My Own Private Idaho;" Bernardo Bertolucci’s "Little Buddha;" Richard Linklater’s "A Scanner Darkly," "Thumbsucker," Rebecca Miller's "The Private Lives of Pippa Lee" and this year’s "Henry’s Crime."

In addition to his film roles, Reeves has also performed in theater. His performance in the title role in a Manitoba Theatre Centre production of Hamlet was praised by Roger Lewis, the Sunday Times, who called Reeves “...one of the top three Hamlets I have seen, for a simple reason: he is Hamlet.”

Reeves also has musical interests and played bass guitar in the grunge band Dogstar.

The Woodstock Film Festival is a not-for-profit, 501 (C)(3) organization with a mission to present an
annual program and year-round schedule of film, music,
and art-related activities that promote artists, culture,
inspired learning, and diversity. The Hudson Valley Film
Commissionpromotes sustainable economic development
by attracting and supporting film, video and media production.